Ford CEO favors gas tax
Or at least some kind of consumer responsibilityCNBC's Phil Lebeau interviewed Ford CEO Alan Mulally just a few minutes ago, and one of the topics was a gas tax. Mulally told Lebeau that a gas tax or some kind of consumer participation in energy policy was needed if there is going to be a move to fuel efficiency in the US.
posted by Dahcredyns at
9:17 AM
7 Comments:
Gas is already taxed. Heavily.
Federal gas tax is 18.4 cents. That pays for 25% of road maintenance cost.
duerra-
nobody likes paying taxes. yet, how are Americans heavily taxed when it comes to gas? compared to what?
we pay nothing compared to europe, for instance. we pay more than canadians, even though they export tons of oil to us.
i think john's point demonstrates that the current gas tax needs to be quadrupled, minimally, just to pay for infrastructure maintenance.
then you can add costs like the money spent on securing shipping lanes for oil tankers, something which costs 10s of billions per year even during peace times.
if that's a cost of gasoline, then it should be paid at the pump, not in hidden military taxes.
perhaps if americans had been paying the real costs of gasoline the last few decades, we wouldn't be fighting oil wars and our auto industry would be kicking Japanese ass.
Indigo Incarnates
Aaaiiieeee!!!! You got spammed by an anonymous jerk. Arrrrrrg!
Ok... Back to my point.
Gas is already taxed pretty heavily. But there's a compelling alternative that needs to be examined. How about making the registration renewal fees variable in accordance with the vehicle's fuel economy and pollution output. For example, a Prius might have a $50 renewal fee while a Dodge Durango could have a $1,500 renewal fee. That gives the taxpayers a little more control over their destiny.
I guess I don't think that gas is taxed very high relative to its real world costs.
What I like about a gas tax is its immediacy. It changes everything instantly.
Forget CAFE, CARB, etc. It's meaningless with gas at the right price.
Simple and effective.
If ford ceo Alan Mulally favors higher gas taxes I will favor an alternate brand of vehicle.
In the near future I will be looking for a replacement for my aging Dodge mini-van.
If Alan Mulally can't sell fords he needs to shake up his advertizing department and or cut costs (labor?) to make fords more appealing.
I will buy the most vehicle I can for the limited money I have. I will vote with my wallet.
Thank you for your time,
Paul the Ammo Guy 8-)
"Ignorance is a peculiar nature: once dispelled, it’s impossible to re-establish".
Thomas Paine
I hear what you are saying, but I think you're missing the point a little.
Inevitably, CAFE standards are set to increase significantly in the next decade. Yet, gas prices might not. So automakers are going to be forced to develop more expensive, efficient vehicles, but consumers won't feel the need for such vehicles.
A gas tax makes consumers more responsible. The revenue, much like Obama's cap-and-trade plan can be used for tax incentives for people with less money to spend.
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